


Poetry in Tragedy

by Timeskipped



Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Attempted Murder, First Kiss, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Non-Graphic Violence, it has a sweet cheesy ending though!!!, the rest of winter is mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:47:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29553741
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Timeskipped/pseuds/Timeskipped
Summary: The gardener Tsumugi always listens to Prince Homare.Until he doesn't.(Tsumugi is crying. His tears are hot when they hit Homare's face. "I can't. I can't leave. Please, let me help you.")
Relationships: Arisugawa Homare/Tsukioka Tsumugi
Comments: 2
Kudos: 25





	Poetry in Tragedy

**Author's Note:**

> I can't believe this is my first Tsumuhoma fic tbh, but I had a really long power outage and got through it by writing the most self indulgent fic ever. By which I mean this, of course.

Tsumugi always listens to Homare when he speaks. The lilts and tilts of his poetic voice get through to Tsumugi, who gracefully, thankfully, will smile at Homare and ask for more if he has the time. Or else, if Homare requests Tsumugi's presence, Tsumugi will drop what he's doing to accompany him. It's not because Homare is a prince, either. Tsumugi could just as easily refuse, and go on with his duties as palace gardener.

Tsumugi always listens to Homare.

Until he doesn't.

"Go," Homare says, blood on the tip of his tongue. He's asking, _begging_ for this, for Tsumugi's blue eyes to turn away and for him to run, at least, and save himself.

Tsumugi is crying. His tears are hot when they hit Homare's face. "I can't. I can't leave. Please, let me help you."

It's an inappropriate thought for the situation: _I love him,_ Homare thinks, desperately, _I want him to be happy._ It doesn't make it any better, that Tsumugi is trying to stay with him like this; all Homare can think is that happiness lies away from him, lying here.

How poetic the tragedy of his death, the pain on his side where he was stabbed. Romance has nothing to do with this, but Homare wonders if he might be able to kiss Tsumugi before he leaves.

It would be gross. Homare's mouth tastes like iron from where he bit the inside of his mouth. He almost wants to laugh.

Tsumugi looks up, away from Homare and his eyes widen. Homare listens, and he can hear someone nearby, the assassin, perhaps, the killer who wanted the prince dead. Homare wonders what they thought they'd achieve with this act, and this time he actually does laugh, delirious.

"Get going," Homare smiles, weakly, when his laughter abides. "The guards will be here soon."

If Homare were to wax poetic about what happens next, he'd describe Tsumugi's footsteps like pattering rain, his breathing like an endless wave that doesn't leave Homare, even though Homare's own voice commanded it. Tsumugi stands between Homare and the other person. Homare knows this will not end well.

He doesn't want to see this. He closes his eyes, feels himself drift in pain, and then Tsumugi yells and Homare can't bear to watch, but he also can't imagine _not_ watching, because Tsumugi isn't leaving—

Why is he not leaving? _He's going to get himself killed!_

Homare forces his eyes open, and for all his years as a prince, almost expecting that someone will come to hurt him, he always expected it to be a knight alongside him, not a gardener with a large heart and a beautiful smile—but here Tsumugi is, pushing this person away with all his strength.

He's not as strong as the assassin, but he might as well be, because as soon as Homare drinks it in he realizes that the guards and knights have appeared in the corner of his vision. Tsumugi has bought them time.

Tsumugi makes a strained noise. Homare's heart hurts just hearing it, and wonders if Tsumugi is hurt.

But he can't check. His side is burning, eyes dipping closed once more. _Oh._ This is it. Tsumugi may not even have saved him. He should've listened, but since he hadn't... Homare wishes he could've given him another poem...

* * *

Homare's hand is warm when he wakes up.

When his eyes travel down his arm to that very hand, he finds that someone by his bedside is holding onto it, their dark hair pressed against Homare's medical bed. _Tsumugi,_ Homare's still bleary mind connects.

"Tsumugi," he repeats his thought aloud with a weak voice.

Tsumugi looks up, blinking rapidly. Then, with a jolt, he sits up straight. "Prince Homare!" he says, and continues before Homare can correct him, telling him to call him without any titles, "I should go get someone for you." Tsumugi moves to stand, but glances back at the last second.

("By now we're friends, aren't we, Tsumugi?" "I suppose that's true... You really don't mind if I don’t call you Prince?" "Of course not!")

"Stay with me," Homare says, softly. He just wants Tsumugi there with him. "What happened? I want to hear from you, dear Tsumugi." He shifts their hands, holds onto Tsumugi's fingers. Gentle, like snowfall, or like Tsumugi's voice.

And Tsumugi listens, settling down almost as if he expected Homare to say as much.

"Azuma said I could stay here for a bit. He's the one who let me in, but I'm not sure how much time he bought me." Tsumugi shakes his head. "Where do you want me to start?"

"There's no need to buy time. I shall pardon you if you're caught. I did request you stay, after all, _and_ you saved my life."

Tsumugi laughs, pink traveling up his cheeks. "I didn't do _that_ much. Honestly, I just needed you to be safe more than anything else." He softens here, expression melting into worry so sweet Homare wonders if it should really make him this happy to be worried for. He's been worried for all his life, after all. "I had a knife, to protect you. Just in case."

"What?" The sweetness melts into fear. "Why?"

The intake of breath Tsumugi takes stutters on his tongue. "Hisoka told me to, but I wasn't sure why. I think it might've been because we—you and I—have been spending more time together. Hisoka suggested the main gardeners for our area take self-defense lessons." He pauses, sheepishly. "Or rather, that _I_ take lessons, since Guy is a former knight himself and all..."

Homare pauses, frowning. He's not sure what to say to that. Not that he doesn't trust Hisoka—he'd trust the man with his life, as may well be the case here—but to suggest that Tsumugi take a weapon?

"And you're okay after fighting that person? No injuries?" Homare presses, instead, worry for Tsumugi's health overtaking his other concerns. He looks over Tsumugi, searching for some sign that he's unharmed, and Tsumugi unsubtly shifts his free arm, the one not holding Homare's hand, away from Homare's sight.

Homare frowns deeper. For Tsumugi, someone he loves wholeheartedly, to get injured for his sake, is something that aches inside him. If only he'd not been near him when he was attacked, or if Tsumugi had simply run—

Tsumugi shows him his hand. There's a bandage across the heel of his palm.

"Tasuku patched me up immediately, as soon as they dealt with the attacker," he explains quickly. "It was my fault for rushing in. I'm sorry, Homare."

It's the fact that Tsumugi says his name without calling him _Prince_ that gets Homare to stop halfway to crying out and trying to—trying to what, exactly, Homare isn't sure, but he'll protect Tsumugi better either way, next time. Tsumugi squeezes his hand. Homare squeezes back, like a heart beating between them.

"I'll be fine, and so will you," Tsumugi says softly. It's not quite like the voice he uses when he talks to the plants, but something bright blossoms inside Homare anyway, as if Tsumugi could make flowers grow with his gentle voice alone.

"That's good," Homare swallows. "And the attacker?"

"Has been dealt with," Tsumugi says. "You should ask Tasuku for the details." Homare nods. "In the meantime, you should rest. I'll bring in flowers every day. Or even more often, if you'd like me to."

"I'd like that. And will you listen to my poems, Tsumugi? I have so many left to share with you."

Tsumugi smiles like the sun over the snowy hills, light and warmth here to wipe away the cold memories of pain. "You always have more every time we talk, so of course." His smile turns teasing, similar to when he flirts with Homare, but this time he doesn't have any reason to snap back to formalities. "You could tell me one right now?"

Homare thinks about poetry of pain and of flowers and of light. He looks to Tsumugi's lips.

"Kiss me instead, dear Tsumugi?" Homare wonders if he's being too bold. He hopes Tsumugi won't taste the blood he had in his mouth before he passed out, but he can't taste any himself, so he hopes he's okay.

Tsumugi turns red, despite the confidence he just had. "Right now? But..." He looks around, as if someone will catch them.

"You said Azuma was buying us time, didn't you?" He waits for Tsumugi's nod. "Then there shouldn't be an issue. Unless you don't want to?" If he misjudged Tsumugi's feelings, then Homare supposes he'll have nothing to do but apologize. He readies the awkward words on his tongue.

But Tsumugi shakes his head. "It may never be able to go past a kiss," he says, "but I do want to. Of course I want to." He meets Homare's eyes with a flushed grin. "It's you."

It's Homare's turn to blush as Tsumugi leans in.

Their lips meet gently, warmly. Tsumugi is smiling against his, and Homare wishes he could reach up to pull Tsumugi closer without potentially hurting himself. He can feel the blood warming his face the whole time.

"I've wanted to do that for a long time," Tsumugi breathes as he pulls back, so quietly that Homare almost doesn't catch it.

It may never go past a kiss, like Tsumugi said, but Homare, too, has wanted to kiss him for a long time. Someday, Homare will find a way to be with him. Someday, as princes together, with a garden full of beautiful flowers, where Homare won't need to worry about either of them being attacked ever again—

"I have a poem for you, now," Homare grins.

Tsumugi giggles. "Let me hear it, then," he says, and settles in to listen with a sweet smile.


End file.
